Image Forming Apparatus With a Reader With Changeable Positions

ABSTRACT

An image forming apparatus including a wireless tag reader is described. The wireless tag reader is configured to be located in a first position to read wireless tags associated with consumables when the consumables are inserted into, stationary in, or removed from the image forming apparatus, and in a second position to read wireless tags outside of the image forming apparatus.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Ser. No. 14/813,426, filedJul. 30, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 14/076,359 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,098,064), filed Nov. 11, 2013, which is a continuationof U.S. Ser. No. 12/892,169 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,582,157), filed Sep.28, 2010, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2009-224663, filed on Sep. 29, 2009, the entire subject matter of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Aspects of the disclosure relate to an image forming apparatus includinga reader that is configured to read information from a wireless tagattached to a consumable unit.

BACKGROUND

A known image forming apparatus may be configured to read informationstored in a wireless tag attached to a toner container. The imageforming apparatus includes a main body including a cover, a tonercontainer, a wireless tag attached to the toner container, and a readerconfigured to read information of the wireless tag. The image formingapparatus may prevent the reader from reading the information of thewireless tag when the cover is opened, and allow the reader to read theinformation of the wireless tag when the cover is closed.

The image forming apparatus only controls reading of the information ofthe wireless tag attached to the toner container accommodated inside theimage forming apparatus. The reader cannot read a wireless tag which islocated outside of the image forming apparatus.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure may provide an image forming apparatusincluding a reader that is configured to read information from wirelesstags which are not only attached to a consumable unit but also locatedoutside of the image forming apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative aspects will be described in detail with reference to thefollowing figures in which like elements are labeled with like numbersand in which:

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an internal structure of a laserprinter as an illustrative example of an image forming apparatus usingfeatures described herein;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a wireless tag reader accordingto an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2C is a side sectional view of the wireless tag reader.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the laser printer showing anoperation of the wireless tag reader when a front cover is moved towardan open position.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the laser printer showing anoperation of the wireless tag when the front cover is in the openposition.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the laser printer for processcartridge replacement.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the laser printer for processcartridge replacement.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of a laserprinter.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a toner error handling program.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An illustrative embodiment will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

An image forming apparatus according to aspects of the disclosureapplies to a laser printer 1 as shown in FIG. 1. The laser printer 1 isan electrophotographic color laser printer that forms a color image on arecording sheet P. The recording sheet may include plain paper,cardboards, postcards, and transparency sheets.

For ease of discussion, in the following description, the “top” or“upper side”, the “bottom” or “lower side”, the “left” or “left side”,the “right” or “right side”, the “front” or “front side”, and the “rear”or “rear side” are used to define the various parts when the laserprinter 1 is disposed in an orientation in which it is intended to beused. In FIG. 1, the right side is referred to as the front or frontside, the left side is referred to as the rear or the rear side, theupper side is referred to as the top or upper side, the down side isreferred to as the bottom or lower side, and an up and down direction isreferred to as a top-bottom direction or vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the laser printer 1 may include a generallybox-shaped main body 2. A front side of the main body 2 contains anopening 2A. The main body 2 accommodates an image forming unit 10, asheet supplying unit 50, a sheet feeding unit 60, a fixing unit 70, awireless tag reader unit 80, and a controller 90 (FIG. 7).

The main body 2 includes a frame member (not shown) inside. The imageforming unit 10, the sheet supplying unit 50, the sheet feeding unit 60,and the fixing unit 70 are assembled to the frame member. The framemember includes a pair of side frames along right and left side surfacesof the main body 2. The side frames support a drawer case 35 such thatthe drawer case 35 slidably moves in the front-rear direction.

A top surface of the main body 2 contains an output tray 4 and a display95. The output tray 4 is configured to store recording sheets 4 eachhaving an image thereon such that they are overlaid, one over the other.The display 95 is configured to display various kinds of information,e.g. an error message relating to image formation, based on thecontroller 90.

The front side of the main body 3 contains a front cover 5 which opensand closes the opening 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-6. Specifically thefront cover 5 is pivotally supported by the main body 2 via a shaft 5Awhich is disposed in a front lower portion of the frame member defininga lower end of the opening 2A. The front cover 5 is movable between aclosed position in which the opening 2A is closed (FIG. 1) and an openposition in which the opening 2A is open (FIGS. 4-6).

The front cover 5 includes a contact supporting portion 6, which isformed by bending an end opposite to the shaft 5A in a predetermineddirection, e.g. rearward of the laser printer 1 in this embodiment. Thecontact supporting portion 6 is configured to contact the lower surfaceof the wireless tag reader unit 80, which is opposite to a readingsurface 85A. When the front cover 5 is in the closed position, thecontact supporting portion 6 is configured to support the wireless tagreader unit 80 from below such that the wireless tag reader unit 80 isplaced in a first position (FIG. 1). When the wireless tag reader unit80 is placed in the first position, the reading surface 85A of thewireless tag reader unit 80 faces toward the top surface of the mainbody 2 and the wireless tag reader unit 80 has a first reading range,e.g. a reading range R of the wireless tag reader unit 80 includes apredetermined position of the top surface of the main body 2 as shown inFIG. 1.

The main body 2 accommodates the wireless tag reader unit 80 slightlyabove a portion defining an upper end of the opening 2A. The wirelesstag reader unit 80 includes the reading surface 85A and is disposed atthe portion defining the upper end of the opening 2A such that thewireless tag reader unit 80 rotatably moves along a vertical direction.The wireless tag reader unit 80 has a reading range R extending from thereading surface 85A (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 1, when the front cover 5is in the closed position, the wireless tag reader unit 80 is in thefirst position. At this time, the reading range R of the wireless tagreader unit 80 includes the predetermined position of the top surface ofthe main body 2. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, when the front cover 5 is in theopen position, the wireless tag reader unit 80 is located in a secondposition. In the second position, the reading surface 85A faces downwardinside of the main body 2, and the wireless tag reader unit 80 has asecond reading range, e.g. the reading range R extends toward a centralportion of the opening 2A as shown in FIGS. 4-6.

The wireless tag reader unit 80 is configured to read information fromwireless tags, e.g. passive RFID tags, which are located within thereading range R, e.g. a first drawer tag 36A, a second drawer tag 36B,cartridge tags 45 and a wireless tag 100. The reading range R means arange in which the wireless tag reader unit 80 transmits and receivesradio waves to and from the wireless tag. In this embodiment, when thewireless tag reader 80 is located in the first position, the wirelesstag reader 80 is configured to read information from the wireless tag100 as shown in FIG. 1. When the wireless tag reader 80 is located inthe second position, the wireless tag reader 80 is configured to readinformation form the first drawer tag 36A, a second drawer tag 36B, andthe cartridge tags 45 as shown in FIGS. 4-6.

The image forming unit 10 of the laser printer 1 will be described.

The image forming unit 10 is located in substantially a central portioninside the main body 2 and is configured to form an image on a recordingsheet P. The image forming unit 10 includes a scanner unit 20 and aphotosensitive member unit 30.

The scanner unit 20 is disposed in the top portion within the main body2 and includes laser light sources, a polygon mirror, fθ lenses, andreflecting mirrors. The scanner unit 20 has, e.g. four, laser lightsources, which are provided for a plurality of colors, e.g. four colorsof black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. A laser beam emitted from eachlaser light source, based on image data, may be deflected by the polygonmirror, pass through the fθ lenses, and be folded by the reflectingmirror to be directed to a surface of each photosensitive drum 31, onwhich an electrical latent image is formed. The electrical latent imageformed on each photosensitive drum 31 is to be developed with one ofblack, yellow, magenta, and cyan.

The photosensitive member unit 30 is disposed below the scanner unit 20and above the sheet feeding unit 60. The photosensitive member unit 30includes process cartridges 40, photosensitive drums 31, and chargers32, which all are provided for a plurality of colors, e.g., four colorsof black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. The photosensitive member unit 30further includes the drawer case 35. The drawer case 35 holds fourprocess cartridges 40 arranged in tandem in the front-rear direction.Process cartridges 40 are one type of consumable product (hereinafter“consumables”). Photosensitive drums 31 may also be considered aconsumable.

As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the drawer case 35 is slidable along guidesformed on the frame member in the front-rear direction of the laserprinter 1. The drawer case 35 is movable between a use position shown inFIG. 6 and a replacement position shown in FIG. 8 in the front-reardirection. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, when the drawer case 35 is in theuse position or located in the main body 2A, image is formed using theprocess cartridges 40. As shown in FIG. 6, when the drawer case 35 is inthe replacement position or located outside the main body 2A, theprocess cartridges 40 can be attached to or removed from the drawer case35 for replacement.

As shown in FIG. 1, each process cartridge 40 includes a toner chamber41, a supply roller 42, a developing roller 43, a layer-thicknessregulating blade 44, and a cartridge tag 45. Each process cartridge 40is configured to be attached to and removed from the drawer case 35,independently. The toner chamber 41 forms an upper portion of theprocess cartridge 40, and is configured to store black, yellow, magenta,or cyan toner. The supply roller 42 is configured to supply toner in thetoner chamber 41 to a surface of the developing roller 43. Thedeveloping roller 43 is configured to supply the toner supplied from thesupply roller 42 to a surface of the photosensitive drum 31. Thelayer-thickness regulating blade 44 is configured to regulate the tonercarried on the surface of the developing roller 43 to a uniformthickness.

The four process cartridges 40 are provided for colors of toner storedin the toner chamber 41: black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. In theillustrative embodiment, the process cartridges 40 are attached to thedrawer case 35 such that a first process cartridge 40K storing blacktoner, a second process cartridge 40Y storing yellow toner, a thirdprocess cartridge 40M storing magenta toner, and a fourth processcartridge 40C storing cyan toner are arranged in this order from frontto rear of the laser printer 1.

Each process cartridge 40 includes its corresponding cartridge tag 45 onthe top surface thereof. In the following description, a cartridge tag45 attached to the first process cartridge 40K is referred to as a firstcartridge tag 45K, a cartridge tag 45 attached to the second processcartridge 40Y is referred to as a second cartridge tag 45Y, a cartridgetag 45 attached to the third process cartridge 40M is referred to as athird cartridge tag 45M, and a cartridge tag 45 attached to the fourthprocess cartridge 40C is referred to as a fourth cartridge tag 45C.

Each cartridge tag 45 is a wireless tag, e.g. a passive radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, which may be configured to receive radiowaves from the wireless tag reader unit 80 as its operating power. Eachcartridge tag 45 includes an antenna and an IC chip. The antenna may bea loop antenna or a spiral antenna and configured to allow the cartridgetag 45 to transmit and receive radio waves to and from the wireless tagreader unit 80. When the antenna receives radio waves including acommand from the wireless tag reader unit 80, the antenna createselectromotive force by resonance.

The IC chip energizes the circuits by the electromotive force, and readsinformation stored in the cartridge tag 45. The IC chip transmits theread information to the wireless tag reader unit 80 via the antenna. TheIC chip stores identification information specific to the cartridge tag45 and information specific to the corresponding process cartridge 40.The information specific to the process cartridge 40 includes a date ofmanufacture of the process cartridge 40 and a manufacturer, and iswritten in the IC chip when the cartridge tag 45 is attached to theprocess cartridge 40.

The first, second, third and fourth cartridge tags 45K, 45Y, 45M, 45Care positioned on the top surfaces of the first, second, third andfourth process cartridges 40K, 40Y, 40M, 40C. Thus, the first, second,third and fourth cartridge tags 45K, 45Y, 45M, 45C pass under thewireless tag reader unit 80 placed in the second position or through thereading range R when the drawer case 35 moves between the use positionand the replacement position.

The drawer case 35 includes four photosensitive drums 31 and fourchargers 32. Each photosensitive drum 31 is rotatably supported belowthe corresponding process cartridge 40 and is disposed such as tocontact a conveying belt 63 of the sheet feeding unit 60. Each charger32 is a scorotron charger and is disposed in a position facing thecorresponding photosensitive drum 31. The charger 32 is configured topositively charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 to form anelectrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 31.

In the illustrative embodiment, as is the case with the processcartridges 40, the four photosensitive drums 31 includes a firstphotosensitive drum 31K corresponding to black toner, a secondphotosensitive drum 31Y corresponding to yellow toner, a thirdphotosensitive drum 31M corresponding to magenta toner, and a fourthphotosensitive drum 31C corresponding to cyan toner, which are arrangedin this order from front to rear of the laser printer 1.

The drawer case 35 further includes a first drawer tag 36A and a seconddrawer tag 36B, which are wireless tags, e.g. passive RFID tags, andstore identification information respectively. The first drawer tag 36Ais disposed in a front upper end portion of the drawer case 35 and thesecond drawer tag 36B is disposed in a rear upper end portion of thedrawer case 35. The first and second drawer tags 36A, 36B pass under thewireless tag reader unit 80 or through the reading range R as the drawercase 35 moves as shown in FIGS. 4-6.

The sheet supplying unit 50 of the laser printer 1 will be described.

The sheet supplying unit 50 includes a sheet supply tray 51, a sheetsupply roller 52, a separation pad 53, a pair of feed rollers 54, and apair of registration rollers 55.

The sheet supply tray 51 is configured to store a stack of recordingsheets P and is disposed in a lower portion of the main body 2. Thesheet supply cassette 51 may be configured to be attached to and removedfrom the front of the main body 2. The pick up roller 52 is rotatablydisposed in a front upper portion of the sheet supply cassette 51 andconfigured to pick up sheets P in the sheet supply tray 51 and feed themtoward the image forming unit 10. The separation pad 53 is configured toseparate the sheets P picked up by the pickup roller 52 one by one. Thefeed rollers 54 are disposed downstream of the separation pad 53 in asheet feeding direction, and configured to contact the sheet P separatedby the separation pad 53 and feed it to the image forming unit 10. Theregistration rollers 55 are disposed at a downstream side from the feedrollers 54 in the sheet feeding direction and configured to contact theleading edge of the recording sheet P, correct skew of the recordingsheet P and feed it further to the image forming unit 10.

The sheet feeding unit 60 of the laser printer 1 will be described.

The sheet feeding unit 60 is disposed below the image forming unit 10and above the sheet supply tray 51. The sheet feeding unit 60 isconfigured to feed the recording sheet P supplied by the sheet supplyingunit 50 toward the fixing unit 70. The sheet feeding unit 60 includes adrive roller 61, a driven roller 62, the conveying belt 63 and fourtransfer rollers 64.

The driven roller 61 and the driven roller 62 are spaced apart in thefront-rear direction and parallel to each other under the image formingunit 10. The conveying belt 63 is an endless belt made of a conductiverubber and is stretched around the drive roller 61 and the driven roller62. Thus, the conveying belt 63 rotates along with rotation of the driveroller 61. The upper surface of the conveying belt 63 contacts thephotosensitive drums 31. The transfer rollers 64 are disposed within theconveying belt 63 and under the respective photosensitive drums 31 suchthat the conveying belt 63 is sandwiched between the transfer rollers 64and the photosensitive drums 31.

The fixing unit 70 of the laser printer 1 will be described.

The fixing unit 70 is disposed behind the image forming unit 10. Thefixing unit 70 includes a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72. Theheat roller 71 is configured to feed the recording sheet P toward theoutput tray 4 disposed downstream in the sheet feeding direction, whileheating toner transferred onto the recording sheet P. The pressureroller 72 is disposed facing the heat roller 71 and configured to rotatewhile pressing the recording sheet P toward the heat roller 71. Thus,the fixing unit 70 is configured to melt the toner transferred onto therecording sheet P by heat and fix it to the recording sheet P, whilefeeding the recording sheet P toward the output tray 4.

An ejection roller 75 is disposed upward from the fixing unit 70 such asto rotate along a rear end of the output tray 4. The ejection roller 75is configured to eject the recording sheet P fed by the fixing unit 70to the output tray 4.

In the printer 1, an image is formed on a recording sheet P as follows.

When the image formation starts, the sheet supplying unit 50 and thesheet feeding unit 60 operate to feed a recording sheet P from the sheetsupply tray 51 to the image forming unit 10. During this time, thesurfaces of the rotating photosensitive drums 31K, 31Y, 31M and 31C areuniformly and positively charged by the respective chargers 32, andexposed to laser beams emitted from the scanner unit 20, so that latentimages based on image data are formed on the surfaces of thephotosensitive drums 31K, 31Y, 31M and 31C.

In each of the process cartridges 40K, 40Y, 40M, and 40C, toner in thetoner chamber 41 is supplied through the supply roller 42 and thedeveloping roller 43 to the surface of the corresponding one of thephotosensitive drums 31K, 31Y, 31M and 31C. As a result, theelectrostatic latent image formed on the surface of each photosensitivedrum 31 becomes visible and a reversal takes place. In this manner,toner images are carried on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 31K, 31Y, 31M and 31C.

The toner images carried on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 31are transferred onto a recording sheet P, which is fed along the surfaceof the conveying belt 63 from front to rear, by a voltage applied to thetransfer rollers 64. When the recording sheet P having toner images isfed to the fixing unit 70, the fixing unit 70 melts toner by theapplication of heat, so that the toner images are fixed onto therecording sheet P as an image. The recording sheet P having the image isfed upward from the fixing unit 70 and ejected to the output tray 4.

The wireless tag reader unit 80 which is disposed in the laser printer 1will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless tag reader unit 80 includes a reader85, a reader holder 87, a rotation supporting member, e.g. plates 82,and a regulating member, e.g. wires 83.

The reader 85 constitutes the main principal part of the wireless tagreader unit 80. The reader 85 is box-shaped, and has the reading surface85A. The reading surface 85A includes the reading range R that extendsin a predetermined direction, e.g., in a direction perpendicular to andaway from a center of the reading surface 85A, as shown in FIGS. 1 and3-6. The reader 85 emits radio waves including a command toward awireless tag. The wireless tag responds by emitting radio waves, and thewireless tag reader unit 80 reads information stored in the wireless tagby receiving and decoding the radio waves received from the wirelesstag. In other words, the reading surface 85A and the reading range R ofthe reader 85 constitute a reading surface and a reading range of thewireless tag reader unit 80.

The reader 85 includes a disengaging member 86. The disengaging member86 is disposed in a hole formed in the reading surface 85A such that thedisengaging member 86 is slidable perpendicularly to the reading surface85A. As shown by a broken line in FIG. 2C, the disengaging member 86 isconfigured to slide in a predetermined direction, e.g. downward in FIG.2C, to disengage from an engaging hook 87A.

The reader holder 87 is box-shaped to support, e.g. hold, the reader 85inside in a detachable manner. The reader holder 87 is formed with theengaging hook 87A at one end in its longitudinal direction. The engaginghook 87A is configured to engage a hole formed on one side surface ofthe reader 85 such that the reader holder 87 holds the reader 85therein. As shown in FIG. 2C, the engaging hook 87A is pressed outsideof the hole by the disengaging member 86 when the disengaging member 86slides downward. Thus, the engaging hook 87A is disengaged from thedisengaging member 86, and the reader 85 is removed from the readerholder 87.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the plates 82 are rectangle members whichare rotatably supported, via support portions 82B, to both sidewalls ofthe reader holder 87 which extend in its longitudinal direction. Theplates 82 are configured to rotatably support the reader holder 87 fromoutside via the support portions 82B, each of which is disposed at anend opposite to the engaging hook 87A. The plates 82 include respectiveattachment portions 82A, each of which is disposed at an end opposite tothe support portion 82B. The attachment portions 82A hold the plates 82slightly above the portion defining the upper end of the opening 2A sothat the plates 82 rotate vertically. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, thereader 85, the reader holder 87 and the plates 82 are configured torotate vertically around the attachment portions 82A. The reader 85 andthe reader holder 87 are configured to rotate around the supportportions 82B.

The wires 83 having a predetermined length are attached to the readerholder 87 at one ends and to the plates 82 at the other ends. The wires83 are configured to restrict an amount of rotation of the reader holder87 with respect to the respective plates 82 to a predetermined amountcorresponding to the predetermined length.

The operation of the wireless tag reader unit 80 in accordance with themovement of the front cover 5 will be described with reference to thedrawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the front cover 5 is in the closed position,the wireless tag reader unit 80 is supported in contact with the topsurface of the contact supporting portion 6 and is located in the firstposition. The reading surface 85A faces toward the top surface of themain body 2, and the reading range R becomes a range outside the mainbody 2. Thus, when the wireless tag reader unit 80 is in the firstposition, the wireless tag reader unit 80 can read information of apassive wireless tag 100 located outside the main body 2. The laserprinter 1 uses the information of the wireless tag 100 located outsidethe main body 2 to perform various controls.

For example, the laser printer 1 may use the information of the wirelesstag 100 located outside the main body 2, to perform a control for, e.g.secure printing. Secure printing is a process in which the laser printer1 stands ready to perform printing onto a recording sheet P until apredetermined piece of identification information of the wireless tag100, e.g. a user ID stored in a portable ID card that is brought to thelaser printer 1 by the user, is input by the wireless tag reader unit80.

Specifically, when print data in association with the identificationinformation is input to the laser printer 1 along with a printinstruction, the laser printer 1 holds a print output. When the userbrings the wireless tag 100 storing the identification information, e.g.an ID card containing the wireless tag, within the reading range R ofthe wireless tag reader unit 80 located in the first position, adetermination is made as to whether the information of the wireless tag100 and the identification information of the print data match. Whenthey match, the laser printer 1 performs the print output onto therecording sheet based on the print data. The laser printer 1 canmaintain confidentiality of contents of the print output by the user.

When the front cover 5 moves around the shaft 5A from the closedposition to the open position, the front cover 5 separates from thecontact support portion 6, the contact support portion 6 moves towardthe outside of the main body 2 along with the movement of the frontcover 5. At this time, the contact support portion 6 is disengaging fromthe plates 82 as shown in FIG. 3, and the plates 82 become rotatablevertically around the respective attachment portions 82A. The center ofgravity of the wireless tag reader unit 80 coincides with that of thereader 85, and is located on a side closer to the rotation supportingportions 82B than the attachment portions 82A. Thus, the wireless tagreader unit 80 vertically rotates around the attachment portions 82Aunder the weight of the wireless tag reader unit 80 along with themovement of the front cover 5.

When the front cover 5 is in the open position, the plates 82 arelocated such that the support portions 82B are located vertically belowthe attachment portions 82A. While the plates 82 rotate verticallydownward, the reader 85 rotates around the rotation support portions82B. When the amount of rotation of the reader 85 with respect to theplates 82 becomes a predetermined amount, the rotation of the reader 85is stopped by the wires 83, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 4. In other words,the plates 82 are located such that they extend downward vertically fromthe respective attachment portions 82A, and the reader 85 rotates by thepredetermined amount with respect to the plates 82, thereby the wirelesstag reader unit 80 is located in the second position.

When the wireless tag reader unit 80 is in the second position, thereading surface 85A faces toward the bottom surface of the main body 2,and the reading range R extends downward vertically. In this case, thereading range R includes the position of the first drawer tag 36Aattached to the drawer case 35 located in the use position, and thewireless tag reader unit 80 reads the information of the first drawertag 36A.

The operation of the wireless tag reader unit 80 as the front cover 5moves from the open position to the closed position will be described.

As the front cover 5 rotates around the shaft 5A toward the closedposition by a predetermined amount, the contact support portion 6 iscontacting the plates 82 of the wireless tag reader unit 80 which islocated in the second position. As the front cover 5 further rotatestoward the closed position, the plates 82 are rotating vertically upwardaround the respective attachment portions 82A.

When the front cover 5 reaches the closed position, the plates 82contact the top surface of the contact support portion 6, and arelocated such that the plates 82 extend horizontally from the respectiveattachment portions 82A. At this time, the reader 85 rotates around therotation support portions 82B in a direction where the wires 83 areloosened, and is located in a predetermined position. Thus, when thefront cover 5 is in the closed position, the wireless tag reader unit 80is located in the first position as shown in FIG. 1.

Replacement of a process cartridge 40 in the laser printer 1 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 3-6.

When a process cartridge 40 is replaced because of, e.g. tonerexhaustion, the front cover 5 is moved from the closed position to theopen position. As the front cover 5 is moved to the open position, thewireless tag reader unit 80 is also moved in the second position, asshown in FIG. 4.

After the front cover 5 is moved to the open position, the drawer case35 is moved from the use position inside the main body 2 (FIG. 4) to thefront side of the laser printer 1. The drawer case 35 is slidingly movedthrough the opening 2A toward the replacement position (FIG. 6). At thistime, the first drawer tag 36A moves outside of the reading range R ofthe wireless tag reader unit 80, which is located in the secondposition, along with the movement of the drawer case 35 to thereplacement position (FIG. 5).

When the drawer case 35 is moved from the use position to thereplacement position, the first, second, third, and fourth cartridgetags 45K, 45Y, 45M, 45C pass, in this order, the reading range R of thewireless tag reader unit 80, which is located in the second position,along with the movement of the drawer case 35 (FIG. 5). During themovement of the drawer case 35, the wireless tag reader unit 80 locatedin the second position reads information of the first, second, third,and fourth cartridge tags 45K, 45Y, 45M, 45C in this order.

When the drawer case 35 reaches the replacement position, the seconddrawer tag 36B enters the reading range R of the wireless tag readerunit 80, which is located in the second position, as shown in FIG. 6. Atthis time, the wireless tag reader unit 80 reads the information of thesecond drawer tag 36B, thereby the laser printer 1 detects the seconddrawer tag 36B. The laser printer 1 can detect the drawer case 35 in thereplacement position by detecting the second drawer tag 36B.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the drawer case 35 is located in thereplacement position, the process cartridges 40 can be individuallyremoved from the drawer case 35. In the replacement position, a processcartridge 40 in which an error occurs due to, e.g., toner exhaustion, isreplaced with a new process cartridge 40.

After the new process cartridge 40 is attached to the drawer case 35,the drawer case 35 is moved inside the main body 2 toward the useposition. That is, the drawer case 35 is slidingly moved through theopening 2A toward the use position (FIG. 4). At this time, the seconddrawer tag 36B moves outside of the reading range R of the wireless tagreader unit 80 along with the movement of the drawer case 35 to the useposition (FIG. 5).

When the drawer case 35 is moved from the replacement position to theuse position, the fourth, third, second, and first cartridge tags 45C,45M, 45Y, 45K pass, in this order, the reading range R of the wirelesstag reader unit 80, which is located in the second position, along withthe movement of the drawer case 35. During the movement of the drawercase 35, the wireless tag reader unit 80 reads information of thefourth, third, second, and first cartridge tags 45C, 45M, 45Y, 45K inthis order.

When the drawer case 35 reaches the use position, the first drawer tag36A is located within the reading range R of the wireless tag readerunit 80, which is located in the second position (FIG. 4). At this time,the wireless tag reader 80 reads the information of the first drawer tag36A, thereby the laser printer 1 detects the first drawer tag 36A. Thus,the laser printer 1 can detect the drawer case 35 in the use position bydetecting the first drawer tag 36A.

After the drawer case 35 is located in the use position, the front cover5 is moved from the open position to the closed position (FIGS. 1 and3). When the front cover 5 is moved in the closed position, replacementof the process cartridge 40 is finished. The wireless tag reader unit 80is moved from the second position to the first position along with themovement of the front cover 5 to the closed position. At this time, whenthe drawer case 35 is in the use position and image formation onto arecording sheet P is available, the laser printer 1 can be ready to readthe wireless tag 100 located outside of the laser printer 1. Thus, thelaser printer 1 uses the wireless tag reader unit 80 for controlling thelaser printer 1, e.g. secure printing, in a state where image formationis available.

A control system of the laser printer 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the laser printer 1 includes a controller 90. Thecontroller 90 is made up of a central process unit (CPU) 91, a read-onlymemory (ROM) 92, a random access memory (RAM) 93, and an electricallyerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) 94. The CPU 91 is thecore part that controls all the data relating to the laser printer 1,and performs control programs, e.g., a toner error handling program(FIG. 8). The ROM 92 stores the control programs and data tablesrequired for controlling the laser printer 1. The r toner error handlingprogram is stored in the ROM 92. The RAM 93 is a volatile memory thattemporarily stores computation results by the CPU 91.

The EEPROM 94 is a non-volatile memory that stores various kinds ofdata, e.g. user configuration settings, relating to image formation ofthe laser printer 1. Specifically, the EEPROM 94 stores identificationinformation read from the cartridge tags 45, and the number of pageswhich have been output since each process cartridge 40 was attached. Inaddition, the EEPROM 94 may store error information for each piece ofidentification information based on the toner error handling program.

The controller 90 is connected to the reader 85. Thus, the controller 90may process information read by the reader 85, i.e., the wireless tagreader unit 80, based on the control programs. For example, thecontroller 90 may allow the EEPROM 94 to store information of thecartridge tags 45 read by the reader 85 by identification information.As described above, the reader 85 is detachable from the reader holder87, and further includes a capacitor 85B inside. The capacitor 85Bfunctions as a battery of the reader 85 when detached from the readerholder 87.

The controller 90 is also connected to the display 95. Thus, thecontroller 90 may allow the display 95 to display various messages inaccordance with the control programs. For example, the controller 90 maydisplay various error messages on the display 95 in accordance with thetoner error handling program (e.g. S3, S7, and S9 in FIG. 8).

The controller 90 is further connected to the image forming unit 10, thesheet supplying unit 50, the sheet feeding unit 60, and the fixing unit70. Thus, the controller 90 controls the image forming unit 10 to forman image on a recording sheet P based on print data.

The toner error handling program will be described with reference toFIG. 8.

This program is executed by the CPU 91 when a condition for a tonererror (hereinafter referred to as toner error condition) is satisfied. Aconfirmation as to whether the toner error condition is satisfied iscarried out at a predetermined time, e.g., at power-on, at the time whena predetermined number of sheets has been printed, and after the elapseof a predetermined time.

The toner error condition includes that the amount of toner remaining ina process cartridge 40 is smaller than a predetermined amount(hereinafter referred to as a toner empty condition) and that toner in aprocess cartridge 40 suffers deterioration (hereinafter referred to as atoner deterioration condition). The toner error condition is satisfiedby either the toner empty condition or the toner deteriorationcondition, and the CPU 91 determines that a toner error occurs in thelaser printer 1.

The toner empty condition is determined based on the number of recodingsheets P printed from a process cartridge 40 since the process cartridge40 has been attached to the drawer case 35. When the number of recordingsheets P printed from a process cartridge 40 exceeds a predeterminednumber, the CPU 91 determines that the process cartridge 40 satisfiesthe toner empty condition.

The toner deterioration condition is determined based on the elapsedtime since the manufacture date of the process cartridge 40, the numberof rotations of the photosensitive drum 31, and the number of recordingsheets P printed from the process cartridge 40 since start of use. Forexample, the CPU 91 specifies the manufacture date of the processcartridge 40 from information obtained from its cartridge tag 45, anddetermines that the toner deterioration condition is satisfied when aperiod of time since the manufacture date until now is longer than apredetermined period of time.

When the toner error condition is satisfied, the CPU 91 sets a tonererror flag in the RAM 93 in S1. The toner error flag means that aprocess cartridge 40 satisfies the toner error condition and that thetoner error occurs in the laser printer 1. After setting the toner errorflag, the CPU 91 proceeds to S2.

In S2, the CPU 91 executes an error information storage process. In theerror information storage process (S2), the CPU 91 specifies a processcartridge 40 that satisfies the toner error condition (hereinafterreferred to as a target process cartridge), and stores error informationin the EEPROM 94 by associating the error information withidentification information which has been obtained from a cartridge tag45 of the target process cartridge 40. The error information indicatesthat the process cartridge 40 satisfies the toner error condition andthat the error occurs in the process cartridge 40. When the errorinformation storage process is finished, the CPU 91 proceeds to S3.

When the drawer case 35 holding the process cartridges 40 is moved fromthe replacement position to the use position, identification informationof the cartridge tags 45 attached to the respective process cartridges40 is read by the wireless tag reader unit 80 and stored in the EEPROM94 in association with the process cartridges 40.

In S3, the CPU 91 executes a toner error notification process. In thetoner error notification process (S3), the CPU 91 causes the display 95to display messages indicating for example that a toner error occurs andthat the target cartridge needs replacement. When the toner errornotification process is finished, the CPU 91 proceeds to S4.

In S4, the CPU 91 determines whether cartridge replacement is completed.Specifically, the CPU 91 causes the wireless tag reader unit 80 toalways detect the first drawer tag 36A and the second drawer tag 36B.Thereby, the CPU 91 detects the movement of the drawer case 35 to thereplacement position and the movement of the drawer case 35 to the useposition, in this order and determines whether the cartridge replacementis completed. When the cartridge replacement is completed (S4: Yes), theCPU 91 proceeds to S5. When the cartridge replacement is not completed(S4: No), the CPU 91 returns to S3, and causes the display 95 to displaya toner error.

In S5, the CPU 91 determines whether information of all cartridge tags45 is obtained by the movement of the drawer case 35 during cartridgereplacement. As described above, information of each cartridge tag 45 isread by the wireless tag reader unit 80 when each cartridge tag 45passes through the reading range R along with the movement of the drawercase 35, and the information is stored in the EEPROM 94. In S5, the CPU91 determines whether the EEPROM 94 stores information of all cartridgetags 45. When the EEPROM 94 stores information of all cartridge tags 45(S5: Yes), the CPU 91 proceeds to S6. When the EEPROM 94 does not storethe information of all cartridge tags 45 (S5: No), the CPU 91 proceedsto S7.

In S6, the CPU 91 determines whether the target cartridge has beenreplaced with a new one. Specifically, the CPU 91 compares theinformation of the cartridge tag 45 of the target cartridge 40, whichhas been already stored in the EEPROM 94, with information of acartridge tag 45 of a new cartridge 40, which is newly obtained duringcartridge replacement. When the target cartridge has been replaced witha new one (S6: Yes), the CPU 91 proceeds to S8. When the targetcartridge is not replaced (S6: No), the CPU 91 proceeds to S9.

In S7, the CPU 91 executes a reading error notification process. In thereading error notification process (S7), the CPU 91 causes the display95 to display messages indicating for example that information of allcartridge tags 45 could not be read and that the drawer case 35 shouldbe moved again between the use position and the replacement position.When the reading error notification process is finished, the CPU 91returns to S5. The CPU 91 repeats S5 and S7 until information of allcartridge tags 45 is obtained.

In S8, the CPU 91 clears the toner error flag. By cleaning the tonererror flag, the laser printer 1 is ready for image formation in normaloperation. After clearing the flag, the CPU 91 finishes the toner errorhandling program.

In S9, the CPU 91 executes a cartridge error notification process. Inthe cartridge error notification process (S9), the CPU 91 causes thedisplay 95 to display messages indicating for example that the targetcartridge, which becomes a cause of a toner error, is not replaced witha new one. When the cartridge error notification process is finished,the CPU 91 returns to S4.

As described above, the laser printer 1 according to the illustrativeembodiment includes the main body 2, the front cover 5 to open and closethe opening 2A, the process cartridges 40, the drawer case 35, and thewireless tag reader unit 80. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-6, the frontcover 5 is attached to the main body 2 such that it is configured torotate around the shaft 5A between the closed position and the openposition. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the drawer case 35 accommodates andguides the first, second, third, and fourth process cartridges 40K, 40Y, 40M, 40C to the use position. The first, second, third and fourthprocess cartridges 40K, 40 Y, 40M, 40C have their respective cartridgetags 45.

The wireless tag reader unit 80 is disposed inside the main body 2 suchthat it is rotatable vertically above the opening 2A. When the frontcover 5 is in the closed position, the wireless tag reader unit 80contacts the contact support portion 6 and is located in the firstposition. In this case, the reading surface 85A faces toward the topsurface of the main body 2, and the reading range R includes apredetermined position outside the main body 2 as shown in FIG. 1. Thus,when the front cover 5 is in the closed position, the laser printer 1can read information of the wireless tag 100 located outside of thelaser printer 1 and perform a control, e.g., secure printing, using theinformation of the wireless tag.

The wireless tag reader unit 80 includes the reader 85, the readerholder 87, the plates 82, and the wires 83. When the front cover 5 movesfrom the closed position to the open position, the plates 82 rotatearound the respective attachment portions 82A downward vertically. Atthis time, the reader holder 87 and the reader 85 rotate around therotating support portions 82B by a predetermined amount corresponding tothe length of the wires 83. As a result, the wireless tag reader unit 80moves to the second position along with the movement of the front cover5 to the open position. Thus, the laser printer 1 can move the wirelesstag reader unit 80 to the second position along with the movement of thefront cover 5.

When the wireless tag reader unit 80 is in the second position, thereading surface 85A faces toward the bottom surface of the main body 2and the reading range R becomes the area having the downward direction.When the drawer case 35 is moved between the use position and thereplacement position with this state, the first drawer tag 36A, thecartridge tags 45, and the second drawer tag 36B pass through thereading range R of the wireless tag reader unit 80 which is located inthe second position as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, when the wireless tagreader unit 80 is in the second position, the wireless tag reader unit80 can read information of the first drawer tag 36A, the cartridge tags45, and the second drawer tag 36B, and the laser printer 1 can performthe toner error handling program as shown in FIG. 8. Thus, the laserprinter 1 allows the user to replace and maintain process cartridges 40.

When the front cover 5 moves from the open position to the closedposition, the plates 82 contact the contact support portion 6 and rotateupward around the respective attachment portions 82A. At this time, thereader 85 rotates around the rotation support portions 82B in thedirection where the wires 83 are loosened. As a result, when the frontcover 5 is in the closed position, the wireless tag reader unit 80 issupported from below by the contact support portion 6 and is located inthe first position as shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the laser printer1 can move the wireless tag reader unit 80 to the first position alongwith the movement of the front cover 5 to the closed position. As aresult, the laser printer 1 can make effective use of the wireless tagreader unit 80 by changing the position of the wireless tag reader unit80 along with the movement of the front cover 5.

The wireless tag reader unit 80 is mainly made up of the reader 85 andthe reader holder 87. The reader 85 is accommodated in the reader holder87 and held in position by the engaging hook 87A. When the disengagingmember 86 is slid downward, the reader 85 disengages from the engaginghook 87A and is removed from the reader holder 87. The reader 85 removedfrom the reader holder 87 may be efficiently used. For example, thereader 85 may be used alone or in other apparatus. If an error occurs inthe reader 85, the reader 85 can be replaced with a new one simply inthe laser printer 1.

The above illustrative embodiment shows, but is not limited to, that thedrawer tags 36A, 36B, and the cartridge tags 45 are wireless tags, e.g.passive RFID tags. Active and semi-passive RFID tags may be used insteadof the passive RFID tags.

The above illustrative embodiment shows, but is not limited to, thewireless tag reader unit 80. The wireless tag reader unit 80 may bestructured in any way as long as it moves between the first positionwhere the reading range R includes a predetermined position outside ofthe main body 2 and the second position where information of a wirelesstag, which is located inside the main body 2, can be read.

For example, the reader 85 may be rotatably supported vertically, andthe reading surface 85A may be rotated 180 degrees from a state wherethe surface 85A faces upward, such that the wireless tag reader unit 80may move between the first position and the second position. In thiscase, the reader 85 may be rotated under control of a drive motor by asensor which detects the position of the front cover 5. Thus, therotation of the reader 85 may be linked with the movement of the frontcover 5.

In addition, the front cover 5 may not be essential. The wireless tagreader unit 80 may be configured to move between the first position andthe second position singly without the front cover 5. In this case, thewireless tag reader unit 80 may move electronically or manually.

In the toner error handling program, a determination is made as towhether the target cartridge, which is a cause of a toner error, hasbeen replaced with a new one and then the cartridge error notificationprocess (S9) is executed. However, the disclosure is not limited to thisembodiment. For example, the toner error handling program may proceed asfollows: each cartridge tag 45 may store information regarding a tonercolor of the corresponding process cartridge 40 to which the cartridgetag 45 is attached, and a determination may be made as to whether eachprocess cartridge 40 is disposed in a predetermined position in thedrawer case 35. The laser printer 1 may be configured to obtaininformation of each cartridge tag 45 from the movement of the drawercase 35 and to find the position of each process cartridge 40 in thedrawer case 35 based on the information regarding the toner color. Inthis case, it is preferable that, if the process cartridge 40 isincorrectly disposed in the drawer case 35, such a message is displayedon the display 95.

The above illustrative embodiment shows, but is not limited to, thedirect-tandem type color laser printer. It will be appreciated that thisillustrative embodiment also applies to other types of image formingapparatuses, an intermediate transfer type color laser printer,four-cycle color laser printer, and monochrome printer as well. Inaddition, development may be performed with not only single componentdevelopment method but also two-component development method.

The above illustrative embodiment shows, but is not limited to, that thewireless tag reader unit 80 reads information of the cartridge tags 45when the wireless tag reader unit 80 is located in the second positionand the drawer case 35 moves between the use position and thereplacement position. When the drawer case 35 is in the use position,the reading range R may include the positions of the cartridge tags 45.In this case, the wireless tag reader unit 80 may read the informationof the cartridge tags 45 during printing, for example.

While the features herein have been described in connection with variousexample structures and illustrative aspects, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that other variations and modifications of thestructures and aspects described above may be made without departingfrom the scope of the disclosures described herein. Other structures andaspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from aconsideration of the specification or practice of the features disclosedherein. It is intended that the specification and the described examplesonly are illustrative with the true scope of the disclosures beingdefined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an imageforming unit configured to form an image on a recording medium; a sheetsupply tray disposed below the image forming unit and configured tostore the recording medium fed to the image forming unit; a wirelesscommunications unit disposed above the sheet supply tray; and a movingunit including the wireless communications unit and configured to movebetween a first position where the wireless communications unit has afirst directional communication range extending in a first direction anda second position where the wireless communications unit has a seconddirectional communication range extending in a second directiondifferent from the first direction, wherein the wireless communicationsunit is configured to, when the moving unit is in the first position,wirelessly communicate with a wireless device located in the firstdirectional communication range, and is configured to, when the movingunit is in the second position, wirelessly communicate with a wirelessdevice located in the second directional communication range.
 2. Theimage forming unit according to claim 1, wherein the first directionalcommunication range extends in the first direction outwardly from theimage forming apparatus.
 3. The image forming unit according to claim 2,wherein the second directional communication range extends in the seconddirection inwardly of the image forming apparatus.
 4. The image formingapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a front coverconfigured to pivot about an axis between a closed position where anopening is covered and an open position where the opening is exposed,wherein the wireless communications unit is disposed above the frontcover.
 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theimage forming unit includes a drawer configured to receive therein atleast one cartridge for image formation and move between an insideposition where the drawer is in the image forming apparatus and anoutside position where the drawer is outside of the image formingapparatus.
 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe first directional communication range extends upward.
 7. The imageforming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second directionalcommunication range extends downward.
 8. The image forming apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications unit isconfigured to read information from the wireless device.
 9. The imageforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit includesa front cover of the image forming apparatus, the wirelesscommunications unit being disposed above the front cover.
 10. An imageforming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to forman image on a recording medium; a sheet supply tray disposed below theimage forming unit and configured to store the recording medium fed tothe image forming unit; a wireless communications unit disposed abovethe sheet supply tray; and a pivoting unit including the wirelesscommunications unit and configured to pivot between a first positionwhere the wireless communications unit has a first directionalcommunication range extending in a first direction and a second positionwhere the wireless communications unit has a second directionalcommunication range extending in a second direction different from thefirst direction, wherein the wireless communications unit is configuredto, when in the first position, wirelessly communicate with a wirelessdevice located in the first directional communication range, and isconfigured to, when in the second position, wirelessly communicate witha wireless device located in the second directional communication range.11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the firstdirectional communication range extends in the first direction outwardlyfrom the image forming apparatus.
 12. The image forming apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the second directional communicationrange extends in the second direction inwardly of the image formingapparatus.
 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10,further comprising a front cover configured to pivot about an axisbetween a closed position where an opening is covered and an openposition where the opening is exposed, wherein the pivoting unit isconfigured to pivot about an axis parallel to the axis of the frontcover.
 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, whereinthe image forming unit includes a drawer configured to receive thereinat least one cartridge for image formation and move between an insideposition where the drawer is in the image forming apparatus and anoutside position where the drawer is outside of the image formingapparatus.
 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10,wherein the first directional communication range extends upward. 16.The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the seconddirectional communication range extends downward.
 17. The image formingapparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wireless communicationsunit is configured to read information from the wireless device.
 18. Theimage forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the moving unitincludes a front cover of the image forming apparatus, the wirelesscommunications unit being disposed above the front cover.